The man currently in the Azzurri hotseat believes Calafiori is actually growing as a footballer and as a man, broadening his horizons while honing his talents in the most high-pressure environment that is a fiercely-contested Premier League title race.
At a time in which much of the Italian national team is made up of players based in Serie A, Calafiori is one of the very few Spalletti charges currently plying his trade on the biggest of stages.
“It’s fundamental,” Spalletti told a press conference this week. “What concerns us is international and European football, having players who know the atmosphere we breathe and players who can explain to us what we will find in front of us in these matches.
“Playing in teams and certain matches like Riccardo does is fundamental for us.”
Calafiori has been a big hit at Arsenal.
Taking the word ‘versatile’ to a new level – a left-back on the team-sheet but popping up on the right-hand side of central midfield at times – few players suit Mikel Arteta’s free-flowing yet ferocious Gunners team better than the one-time Roma prospect.
